Wednesday, 22 April 2015

A4e sold?

I've had a tip-off that A4e has been sold and the staff will be informed on Monday. Since I can't confirm that, I won't go into any more detail. If it's true it raises some interesting questions.

Last night on Newsnight there was supposed to be a debate about "welfare" with representatives from Labour and the Conservatives. Labour's Rachel Reeves and Stephen Timms were already on their way when they were told it had been cancelled - the Conservatives had pulled out. It seems that Mark Harper, minister for the disabled, had withdrawn with two hours notice. So, since we're now under election rules, the producers couldn't empty-chair him. Instead there was a "panel" on which Fraser Nelson spouted egregious Conservative tripe and Will Hutton talked sense. Also there was Deirdre Kelly ("White Dee"), because the media now treat her as some sort of representative of the unemployed. It was terrible. The Daily Politics has been holding a series of debates among party spokespeople on various areas of government, and on May 5th there's to be one on "welfare", including Iain Duncan Smith. The editor assures me, via Twitter, that IDS won't withdraw and, no, it isn't already recorded, it goes out live. We'll see.

2 comments:

hmmm...I wonder how much or rather low little A4e has been sold for than?

What can we expect from the editor of the Spectator? I like Will Hutton quite a lot. A damn shame he cannot be Business Secretary. He program a couple of months ago asking what British governments all too easily sell of national assets compared to the Germans, French and Americans was compelling and sobering viewing.

I have no idea what Smith turns up to these debates and interviews. The media have to invite him of course as he is a key ministerial figure. However, he is so evasive and as a result predictable that he has nothing new to offer. One may as well have a cardboard cut out of Smith with a digital recorder selotaped to the back endlessly repeating his usual drivel. Would no doubt be effective than the real thing too.

Thus expect more mistruths about how more people have found work via the WP, how sanctions motivate jobseekers, how worklessness is generational, how food banks exist merely due to them being referred to by JCP staff and not the result of ever increasing sanctions, etc., etc.

I watched the Newsnight programme involving White Dee. I wondered why she was still wearing her patterned pyjama bottoms under otherwise reasonable plain bleck dress? What, I wondred, is the sartorial point of emphasizing thunder thighs?

Historian, I wonder how many of A4e's staff read this blog and trust it for factual accuracy? Dozens, I would imagine........ Maybe A4e's internal e-mail system is unusually busy today?

I'll now watch with baited breath for any public announcements about the sale of A4e.